Alexandra Shipp Will Replace Zendaya in Lifetime’s Aaliyah Biopic

Lifetime has found a replacement to star in their made-for-television movie titled, Aaliyah: Princess of R&B.

Earlier today Lifetime announced on Twitter that Nickelodeon star Alexandra Shipp will take on the role of the R&B singer. Wendy Williams, who has signed on as an executive producer for the film, also tweeted the news of the 23-year-old actress’ casting.

Shipp is best known as KT Rush on the Nickelodeon show House of Anubis. She has also appeared on Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Switched at Birth and Victorious. She enters the Lifetime project less than a month after Zendaya exited the project.

When asked why she dropped out of playing Aaliyah, Zendaya said, “I didn’t feel like it was all the way there, so I didn’t want to do that. And when the time comes when it’s done right and it’s 100 percent, by all means, I will be the first person there ready to go.”

Production for the film will resume this summer and Lifetime expects to release Aaliyah: Princess of R&B in the fall as they originally planned. The project will follow Aaliyah’s career from her first performance on Star Search to her death in 2001. She was killed in a plane crash at 22.

Samantha Lui is a writer living in Toronto. When she isn't writing, shooting videos or interviewing people, she can be found alone at the movie theater. You can follow her on Twitter (@samanthalui_) or find out more on her site samanthalui.ca.